At Your Service! I am very excited to be taking on the role of the Historian for this upcoming year. I hope to help memorialize all of the WAEA activities throughout the year. As part of this work, I had the honor of scrounging around in our storage unit. With the help of some fellow board members we were able to revisit a number of memories while looking at past events. It was amazing to discover all the hard work that has been put into this association throughout the years. It was a great reminder of how much of an honor it is to be apart of such a wonderful profession. I feel it is a rare organization that is willing to volunteer hundreds of hours to advocate for art education and our talented students in the state of Wisconsin. As your historian I hope to document as many events that WAEA participates in as possible. If you would like to share some personal pictures from your events feel free to email me. I would love to put them on our newly updated Flickr page.

Tasha Newton

Hello All! I am not afraid to say that I have the best job in the world! I have been teaching elementary art (K-6th) in the Eau Claire, Wisconsin area since 2011. I feel truly blessed to teach in a school district that puts so much value in the arts! I get to see my amazing students every three days for a 40-minute class. I am originally from the La Crosse area where I grew up involved in hockey, soccer, and the arts. I attended school at Cottey College graduating with an associate’s degree. I then transferred to the great University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a Bachelors degree in Art Education and a minor in Art History. I currently live in Eau Claire with my wonderful husband and our two dogs Dali and Vita. We are very excited to be expecting our first child in May. In the past I have presented at several Wisconsin Art Education Association Fall Conferences with sessions such as Edible Art and Tips from a Beginning Teacher. From 2012-2014 I was the Youth Art Month Co-Chair for the Wisconsin Art Education Association. It was an honor to be a part of such an amazing event that showcases so many of our talented students. During my time as a Youth Art Month Co-Chair, I was honored to receive the Award of Excellence both years from the Council for Art Education. I feel truly honored to continue a position on this amazing board as the current Historian. My goal is to document as much as possible throughout the years as well as begin to organize documents from our past. Please feel free to e-mail me with any pictures or documents that you have collected from WAEA events.